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Interactions between bacterial and host factors in the pathogenesis of Streptococcus suis in the pig

ReferenceS09246
Principal Investigator / Supervisor Professor James Leigh
Co-Investigators /
Co-Supervisors		 Professor Michael Bailey
Institution The Pirbright Institute
DepartmentDiv of Immunology Compton
Funding typeResearch
Value (£) 39,836
StatusCompleted
TypeResearch Grant
Start date 01/07/1998
End date 15/06/2002
Duration48 months

Abstract

Streptococcus suis causes meningitis and arthritis in pigs and humans and is carried asymptomatically on the tonsils of 37-80% of pigs. Economic loss to the pig industry occurs through mortality and the cost of prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance among isolates of S. suis is increasing and antibiotics cannot cure or prevent the carrier state. The factors triggering the change from the carrier to disease state are unclear but must depend on alterations in the interactions between bacteria and the local environment. Two simple models are proposed for the persistence of the carrier state without systemic translocation and disease: (a) Virulent bacteria are controlled by the local immune response; dissemination and disease occurs following changes in the local immunological environment. (b) Bacteria persist within the tonsil but fail to express the necessary virulence factors until triggered by environmental change. We propose a series of experiments designed to examine the relationship between bacterial virulence and the local immune system. (Joint with grant S09245).

Summary

unavailable
Committee Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research TopicsX – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research PriorityX – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative X - not in an Initiative
Funding SchemeX – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme
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